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Yield and nitrogen losses in oil palm plantations: Main drivers and management trade-offs determined using simulation

2017; Elsevier BV; Volume: 210; Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/j.fcr.2017.05.016

1872-6852

Lénaïc Pardon, Neil Huth, Paul N. Nelson, Murom Banabas, Benoît Gabrielle, Cécile Bessou,

Conservation, Biodiversity, and Resource Management

Oil palm cultivation has environmental impacts, including those associated with nitrogen (N) losses. Improving management practices to optimise yield and N losses is critical. In order to identify the key management and site parameters driving yield and N losses, over a 25-year cycle, we undertook a Morris's sensitivity analysis of the Agricultural Production Systems sIMulator oil palm model (APSIM-Oil palm), using 3 sites in Papua New Guinea. We selected 12 parameters and 3 outputs: yield, nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions and N leaching. The influence of the 12 parameters on the outputs depended on site characteristics, age of the palms, and climate. The most influential parameters for losses were N mineral fertiliser rate, drainage and fraction of legume in groundcover vegetation. The simulations suggested that APSIM-Oil palm is a useful tool for assessing management options for optimising yield and environmental outcomes in different environments. The results can also guide future measurements needed to improve N loss estimates, and further development of models and risk indicators.